Tom Friendly
| Last= | Name=Tom Friendly | AKA=Mr. Friendly | Death=21 December 2004 | DeathEp="Through the Looking Glass" | DeathReason=Shot by Sawyer | Family= | Count=20 | Actor=M.C. Gainey | Images=Images of Tom | S1Ep=Character appearances#TomS1 | S2Ep=Character appearances#TomS2 | S3Ep=Character appearances#TomS3 | S4Ep=Character appearances#TomS4 }} :"Tom" redirects here. For other uses of "Tom" or "Thomas" see Tom (disambiguation). Tom Friendly was a member of the Others who was loyal to Ben. In the Flight 815 survivors' first encounters with the Others, he acted as a menacing spokesperson and appeared as their "leader". He also wore a fake beard during his early encounters with the survivors, as a part of the Others' facade. While in captivity, Ben (as Henry Gale) said that Tom was "no one" compared to the real leader, although it is unclear whether Ben was referring to himself or Jacob. While not technically in charge of the Others, Tom did have some authority, as shown in his conversation with Ethan , in his dealings with Alex and Pickett , and with the party that captured Hurley, Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. Tom was one of few Others known to have left the Island; he visited Michael to recruit him onto the Kahana . Tom headed the attack on the survivors before he surrendered to and was executed by Sawyer on December 21, 2004 in retaliation for shooting the latter (and kidnapping Walt) a month earlier. On the Island 2001 }} Tom was an Other living on the Island in 2001. It is unknown how and when he joined the Others. Just after Juliet's arrival on the island, Tom was sent by Ben to retrieve her from Harper's office, so that Ben could reveal her new house. While doing so, Tom jokingly stated that Harper made him "cry about his daddy." Days 16–44 (Season 1) When Claire was being held in the Staff station, Tom—beardless and wearing regular clothing—scolded Ethan for not making a list before bringing Claire. After hearing Ethan's explanation, he replied, "You know what he's going to do when he finds out." }} Ben mentioned Tom going scouting with Pickett, and he was the one who happened upon Goodwin's body. When they tried to find the tailies, they were unsuccesful in this. Tom made his first appearance to the survivors as a passenger on a boat with three more Others: a pair of men and an older woman. Jin, Sawyer, Michael, and Walt were sailing on the raft, attempting to find rescue assistance when the boat appeared on their radar screen. Sawyer forced Michael to shoot their only flare and the boat turned around to encounter the raft. Tom's initial contact brought joy to the raft passengers, who believed help had finally arrived. However, the mood quickly soured when the real intentions were made clear with Tom's declaration that he was "going to need to take the boy". Michael furiously refused, Sawyer grabbed his gun, and the Others attacked. They shot Sawyer in the shoulder who then fell into the water, punched Michael and threw him from the raft, and grabbed Walt. While Jin dove into the water trying to save Sawyer, Tom and the Others returned to their boat, blew up the raft, and drove away. Days 49–67 (Season 2) }} A few days later, it is understood that Tom went to the Pearl station for some reason, as Juliet comments on Day 49 in the station "Tom was in here a couple of days ago." After the three raft survivors were reunited with the main camp, Michael set off to find Walt. Tom and some of the Others overtook Michael, captured him with bolas, and took him hostage, warning him not to make a sound. When Jack, Sawyer and Locke finally caught up with Tom, he came out from the shadows and warned them not to cross "the Line", meaning that they were not to explore the northern part of the Island. He said that doing so would change the situation from a "misunderstanding" to "something else." }} During this encounter, Tom revealed to the three survivors that Walt and the others they took, including Emma and Zack, were still alive. He referred to Walt as "special". He quoted Alvar Hanso, saying: "You know, somebody a whole lot smarter than anybody here once said 'Since the dawn of our species, man's been blessed with curiosity", and asked Jack if he knows the other one about curiosity, referring to the statement "curiosity killed the cat." When Jack accused Tom of not having any real strength, instead having to rely on spies like Ethan to infiltrate the survivors' camp and learn their names, Tom called that an "interesting theory". He suddenly yelled "Light 'em up," after which numerous torches were lit, implying that Jack's party were surrounded. Tom then called for Kate to be brought out, revealing they captured her when she followed them in their search for Michael. Tom held what appeared to be a WWI or WWII-era German Luger Parabellum P08 or Walther P38 pistol to Kate's head, which made Jack, Sawyer, and Locke surrender their guns. Tom then brought Michael to the Others' camp, where he left Michael with Ms. Klugh who took care of him for the next ten days. }} Thirteen days later, after Michael helped the Others capture Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley, Tom acted as spokesperson for the group. Kate said that she knew his beard was fake, but she was gagged so Tom didn't understand her. Ms. Klugh explained: "she says she knows your beard's fake, Tom." Tom removed his beard, commenting how much it itches, and sarcastically thanking "Bea" for revealing his name. After the exchange of Walt for the four people on Klugh's list, Tom helped take the prisoners away to the Hydra Island. Days 68–74 (Season 3) }} Tom was in charge of getting Kate ready for her breakfast with Ben. When Kate told him that she wouldn't take a shower in front of him, he said "you're not my type." He led her to a beach where Ben was waiting for her. At the cages area, where Sawyer was being held, another prisoner named Karl escaped from his cage and freed Sawyer. Karl was captured by several Others, including Tom, who made him apologize to Sawyer for using him as a diversion for his own escape. He was then taken away for an unknown punishment. After Kate's breakfast, Tom led her to the cage that used to be Karl's. During this scene, a ring is visible on Tom's hand, located specifically on his left finger. Sawyer showed him the fish biscuit he got after figuring out their "complicated gizmos." Tom noted that it only took the polar bears two hours. Following the prisoners' first day on the Hydra Island, Tom and Danny took Kate and Sawyer to a rock clearing quarry. While they were going to the labor area, an Other named Colleen approached them, kissed Danny and enlisted Tom for her strike team which was sent by Ben to capture the survivors' sailboat. They reached the boat without being seen by Sayid or Jin, who were guarding it, possibly using the "Galaga". On the boat, Sun shot Colleen in the stomach, and tried to escape. Tom and Ivan opened fire, and Sun escaped. }} When the strike team returned with an injured Colleen to the Hydra island, they all hurried to the operating room, where Juliet tried to save her life. Tom on the other hand went with Ben, Matthew, and Jason to the underwater section of the Hydra station, where they tortured Sawyer. After Sawyer was released, Tom went back to the operating room, where Jack helped Juliet with Colleen's surgery, which eventually failed. Tom supervised Ben's operation, in which Jack purposely made a small incision in Ben's kidney sac, giving him an estimated one hour to live, and demanded Tom hand over his walkie-talkie so Jack could speak to Kate. Tom complied and contacted Danny, just in time to save Kate and Sawyer's lives. }} Jack revealed to Tom Juliet's plan to kill Ben during the surgery, but Juliet denied it. After Juliet left, Tom asked Jack if it was true, and Jack confirmed it. When Juliet started to cry during her talk with Ben, Tom commented that they have a history together. As Juliet left to help Kate and Sawyer escape, Jack enlisted Tom's help with finishing the surgery. Tom seemed to have problems with blood, and made the mistake of revealing this to Jack, who subsequently showed him the bloody tumor he removed from Ben's spine. Tom also listened to Kate's confirmation story, the same story Jack told her when she stitched him up after the crash. While listening to this story, Jack completed the surgery. Tom has twice referred to "when the sky went purple." The first time was in regard to communications , the second time was when Jack asked why they didn't take Ben to a proper facility for his spinal surgery. Tom began his explanation, but he was cut off before he could fully explain it. }} After Ben's surgery, Tom had an intense conversation with Jack, who believed that the Others would kill him, since they didn't need him anymore. Tom asked for an explanation, and Jack replied that people who abduct a pregnant girl and hang a guy from a tree are not good people, prompting Tom to respond with a quip about glass houses. Once Jack was transferred into Sawyer's cage, Tom gave him food, and discovered that Jack knew about the video surveillance. After Jack and Alex stopped Juliet's trial, Tom grabbed Jack by his shirt, demanding to know why he was there. Isabel calmed him down, and read a note from Ben, who ordered to stop the surgery, and to mark Juliet instead of killing her. Later that day, Tom and the Others left the Hydra Island on the yacht. Off the Island: Days 75–79 (Season 4) }} Tom found Michael in a Manhattan alleyway, about to shoot himself, and distracted him by asking him the time. Tom revealed himself and remarked to Michael, "we let you leave one island and you just go to another", referring to Michael's home of Manhattan. They fought, ending with Michael holding a broken champagne bottle to Tom's throat, and Tom holding Michael's gun at him. Michael begged him to pull the trigger. He surmised Michael's death wish was because he had revealed to Walt that he murdered Ana Lucia and Libby to save Walt. But he said that the Island wouldn't let Michael kill himself, and returned his gun to let him find out for himself. Tom told Michael he had more work to do, and once he figured it out, to see him in the penthouse at the Hotel Earle. }} After seeing the news bulletin about the wreckage of Flight 815 in the Sunda Trench, Michael visited Tom at the hotel, surprising him with how quickly he arrived. Tom was there with a man named Arturo, who correctly guessed that Michael was the guy who hit Tom with a champagne bottle; Tom admitted he "had it coming". Tom asked Arturo to let him talk to Michael alone, and Arturo left, kissing Tom on the cheek. Tom asks Michael if he would like a drink, to which Michael declines. Tom explained that he didn't make it to the mainland often, so when he did he liked to indulge himself (alluding to the food and drink, and perhaps sexual indulgence). Tom said that some of the people on the Island can just come and go, and explained the plane at the bottom of the Ocean, claiming that Charles Widmore staged the whole wreck, so no one else would find the Island. }} When Michael demanded proof of this Tom showed him photos of a cemetery in Thailand whose bodies have been exhumed for the crash, the purchase order for the 777 through a shell company, and the shipping logs for the freighter that dropped the plane into the Sunda Trench. He told Michael that Widmore had located the Island, and that Michael would have to join the crew of the freighter leaving from Fiji to find it, under the name Kevin Johnson as a deckhand. He said that if Widmore found the Island, he would kill everyone on it, and preventing this would be Michael's chance to redeem himself, by killing everyone on board the freighter. After Michael got to Fiji, Tom directed him to wait a few days until he was in open sea, and warned him not to get cold feet after meeting some of the crew, naming "Sun, Sawyer, Jack, Claire, her baby..." as those would die if he didn't follow through. He warned Michael that he would have to explain to Walt how he let all of them die too. Back on the Island: Days 80–91 (Season 3) }} After returning to the island, Tom was seen by Sayid, Locke, Kate, and Danielle playing football with Jack at the Barracks. That same night he informed Ben that Kate and Sayid had been captured and were being held at his place; Ben ordered Tom to separate them. Later, Tom took Jack to where Kate was being held and told him that the place was bugged. Following Jack and Juliet's "farewell" to Ben, Tom escorted them to the dock, where he witnessed the destruction of the submarine. }} Tom was present when the bound and gagged Anthony Cooper was revealed to Locke, and promptly shuts the door to the room before too many questions were asked. Later, Tom was again present at the Others' camp, seen packing up and leaving with them after Locke's failure to kill his father. Locke startled Tom and the rest of the Others when he turned up at their new campsite with his father's body on his back, asking Ben to take him to the mysterious Jacob. Mikhail was punched repeatedly after disagreeing with Locke's decision while Tom watched neglectfully. Along with the other Others, Tom gazed in disbelief at Ben and Locke, who set out on a trek to talk to Jacob. Tom participated in the raid on the beach camp in order to kidnap all the pregnant women, survived the explosions which killed seven Others, and helped capture Sayid, Jin, and Bernard. }} Although Ben ordered him over his walkie to kill all three captives, Tom fired his gun into the sand instead, making it sound like he'd killed them. When Pryce questioned this decision, Tom stated that he'd been following Ben's orders, but that they should have killed them (if it were up to him). After Hurley intervened and the other two members of the strike team were killed, Tom surrendered. Sawyer, however, shot and killed Tom anyway. Sawyer stated, "That's for takin' the kid off the raft." When questioned by Hurley, Sawyer said he didn't believe that Tom's declaration of surrender was genuine. Juliet buried Tom's corpse with those of the other camp raiders next to the jungle. Trivia * The name "Friendly" was not used in an actual episode until the season 6 episode "Lighthouse", but was still not directly tied to Tom as it referred to a crossed out candidate on the lighthouse wheel itself (109). :* "Mr. Friendly" was originally a name used by the show's producers to refer to the character in their scripts, but was revealed to the public by TV Guide, which has a tendency to name characters even when they aren't referred to by name in the actual episode. :*The name "Mr. Friendly" was used in closed captioning before the character was referred to as "Tom" in . :*It was also used three times in the enhanced captions of Meet Kevin Johnson: "Mr. Friendly is staying at the Hotel Earle," "Friendly will soon return to the island where he will be shot and killed by Sawyer," and "This is Tom Friendly, an Other and the man who kidnapped Walt from the raft." :*For a long time, it was assumed that "Mr. Friendly" was just an unofficial nickname for the character among the writing team; however, the increasingly frequent use of the full name "Tom Friendly" (such as in issue 20 of Lost: The Official Magazine, ) eventually caused some fans to speculate that "Friendly" was actually the character's real last name. This was finally officially confirmed to be canon in the memorial video shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2009, which also established last names for Libby and Karl.http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a167283/live-lost-panel-at-comic-con.html :*For , MC Gainey was credited in the press release as bearded man. * Out of the main characters, Tom has met Ben, Juliet, Claire, Michael, Jin, Sawyer, Walt, Kate, Jack, Locke, Hurley, Sun, Sayid, Bernard, and Richard. * Tom (or someone looking a lot like him) appeared in the audience of Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 12, 2006. J.J. Abrams was guest-directing the show. When Kimmel commented on Mr. Friendly’s appearance, Mr. Friendly responded with a sentence that was obviously pre-recorded and played backwards. (Lost-Media) * Many fans thought that he was the silver-haired man on the stretcher in the hospital in , which Jack was treating when he was trying to eavesdrop on Christian Shephard. This resemblance was refuted when Damon Lindelof said that there is no connection. * Tom does not like the sight of blood. (Kate and Hurley share the same aversion.) * "Tom" is also the alias given to Christian by Ana Lucia in . He calls her "Sarah." * In , Sawyer calls Tom "Zeke." In the film The Wizard of Oz, "Zeke" is the name of one of the farmhands who worked for Dorothy's uncle, Henry Gale. The name was used as Ben's alias. * Tom's sexual orientation was originally hinted in , when he told Kate that she wasn't his "type." Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse later suggested in the October 30, 2006 Official Lost Podcast that one of the characters on the show might indeed be gay. In issue #13 of the Official Magazine, actor M.C. Gainey confirmed that he had deliberately played Tom as being homosexual ever since he picked up on internet discussions about his character's sexual orientation following the aforementioned line from . However, Tom wasn't explicitly confirmed as being gay until a flashback scene in , after he had already died in the real-time narrative in . It was again confirmed by Lindelof and Cuse in the March, 21 2008 Official Lost Podcast, following . * To date, he and Arturo are the only known gay characters to appear on the show, although Hurley had a sister-in-law, Lisa, who ran off with a waitress. The name Arturo may refer to Italian quick-change artist Arturo Brachetti, who is known to be gay. * Last words: "Okay.... I give up" * Witnesses of death: Sawyer, Juliet, Hurley, Sayid, Jin, Bernard Unanswered questions * What is the story of how Tom was recruited by The Others? ** Could it be that he was a member of the DHARMA Initiative? He was clearly aware of their work, as he once commented to Sawyer about how the polar bears took two hours to solve the cage puzzle. * How could he travel back to New York and recruit Michael, when he had referred to a situation where the Others could not travel back after "the sky turned purple"? * What did he mean when he told Michael only some of the Others could go off the island whenever they wanted? de:Tom es:Tom (Otro) fr:Tom Friendly he:טום it:Tom nl:Tom (Mr. Friendly) pl:Tom Friendly pt:Tom "Barbudo" ru:Том zh:Tom Friendly Category:Characters Category:Deceased Characters Category:Season 1 characters‎ Category:Season 2 characters‎ Category:Season 3 characters‎ Category:Season 4 characters‎ Category:The Others Category:Flashback Characters Category:Claire's flashback characters Category:Michael and Walt's flashback characters Category:Juliet's flashback characters Category:LGBT Characters Category:Jacob's candidates Category:Supporting Characters Category:Others Killed by Survivors Category:Characters killed by James Ford